


FindMeInPops' 12 Days of Ficmas: Day Seven - A Christmas Emergency

by Find Me In Pops (writemeourlovestory)



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writemeourlovestory/pseuds/Find%20Me%20In%20Pops
Summary: Fangs is decorating his trailer for Christmas when, after the lights are wrapped around the tree, realises that they do not work but cannot afford to replace them. He vents to Sweet Pea who decides to help his boyfriend out.
Relationships: Fangs Fogarty & Sweet Pea, Fangs Fogarty/Sweet Pea
Kudos: 12
Collections: FindMeInPops’ 12 Days of Ficmas 2019, Home for the HoliDale





	FindMeInPops' 12 Days of Ficmas: Day Seven - A Christmas Emergency

**Prompt:** Person A starts decorating for Christmas only to realise that all of their strands of lights have stopped working. They’re really upset because they can’t afford to replace all of them so they call Person B to vent. An hour later, Person B shows up at Person A’s house with several strands of working lights and helps them decorate the house.

 **Ship(s):** Sweet Pea x Fangs Fogarty

 **Rating:** K+

 **CW(s):** N/A

 **Reindeer Games:** Dasher - Decorations

* * *

No, this was not happening. This could not be happening. Fangs threw himself onto the nearby sofa, the springs protesting at the excessive force but he could not find the energy to care.

Fangs Fogarty lived alone in a trailer in Sunnyside Trailer Park. Every year since he could remember, he would stare longingly at the Christmas lights that all of the houses in Riverdale would be covered in, and every year he would promise himself ‘next year, next year I’ll get some lights’. He told himself this every year until last year, when he put aside just enough to buy a string of three hundred multi-coloured fairylights. Fangs had been so incredibly proud as he hung them up in his trailer, enjoying the small piece of festivity he had been able to give himself. Once the first of January hit, he had wrapped them up carefully and stored them in a cupboard to be used the next year.

This year, Fangs had saved enough to buy himself a small, faux Christmas tree which he proudly sat on the table in his trailer. He had then wrapped the fairylights around the branches before plugging them into a nearby socket. And then they hadn’t turned on. He pulled the plug out and reinserted it several times, switching the socket itself on and off a few times too but the fairylights still refused to light up.

Frustrated did not begin to describe how Fangs felt in that moment. He should have checked the lights worked before going out to buy the tree; he would rather have a working string of lights to hang on the wall than a barren tree.

Money was always tight for Fangs, particularly around the festive season. The small amount he was paid meant that he could not usually afford more than the necessities and he was struggling to find a job that paid any higher due to his lack of qualifications. When his parents had died, Fangs was forced to drop out of school a year early to find a way to make money. He did not want to go into the system and he did not want to be a burden on any of his fellow Serpents, not for their lack of offering, but Fangs was stubborn. Because of this, there was no way that Fangs would be able to justify buying another set of lights.

The cheap phone Fangs had bought several years began to vibrate in his back pocket, the screen flashing with Sweet Pea’s name.

“Hey.” Fangs answered weakly, not able to muster up the enthusiasm.

“Hey Fogarty, what’s wrong?” Sweet Pea could head the upset in his tone immediately.

“Not much. Just, um…” how did he explain that he was getting upset over a set of Christmas lights. It was stupid, he told himself, some people had a lot less than him and he was getting upset over a set of fairylights.

“Seriously, Fangs, what ‘s wrong?” He persisted.

Initially Sweet Pea had been calling to let Fangs know that he would be a little late coming over the next day due to a complication at work, but as soon as he realised something was bothering his boyfriend, he needed to know what it was so he could help fix it or at least comfort him if he wasn’t able to. Sweet Pea could not help but worry about Fangs. He himself had been in Fang’s position a few years ago but lucked out when he got into an apprenticeship - he was now making a decent salary.

Wanting to help in whatever way possible, he offered Fangs money or to occasionally cover the groceries but each time he refused; the only thing that Fangs did let him do was to take him out once a week for a meal. Fangs seemed to be able to justify it as a date night, which Sweet Pea supposed it was, but he also needed to know that his boyfriend had at least one decent hot meal each week. Fangs Fogarty was a stubborn man and it frustrated Sweet Pea to no end.

“I was putting up that tree I bought,” Sweet Pea remembered the second-hand, three foot tall tree Fangs had found at a garage sale. It wasn’t the most glamorous of decorations but Fangs’ face had lit up when he had seen it and that was the only sign Sweet Pea needed to know that the crappy tree was worth it, “and the lights from last year don’t work. I packed them away carefully but I guess one of the bulbs has blown or something…”

“Ah, that sucks, I’m sorry.” Sweet Pea tried to comfort him but emotion-talk had never being one of his fortes.

“It’s stupid, getting upset over the lights but I can’t afford another set this year.” Something in Fangs’ voice seemed forlorn but also completely exhausted. “But I’m lucky to have this, I have food in my belly and a phone, goddamnit, I sound like a baby.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Sweet Pea could not just sit by and let Fangs belittle and berate himself. “I know how excited you were to finally have some Christmas decorations up, it’s not stupid. You’re disappointed and upset, and it’s fine. Please, don’t beat yourself up.”

“Yeah, I guess.” The agreement in Fangs’ tone was completely fake and he did not try hard to hide it.

“Alright, Fangs, why don’t I come over to help cheer you up? Maybe bring some takeout?” Sweet Pea already had a plan forming in his head, an early Christmas present, if you will.

“It’s pretty late, don’t worry.” ‘11:30’ sat in the top corner of Fangs’ phone, although it looked more like ‘1.:3C’ due to the broken pixels scattering the worn screen.

“No, you need me.” It wasn’t a question.

“Fine, but no takeout, I have food here.”

Ten minutes later, Sweet Pea knocked on Fangs’ trailer door. It swung on the hinges as Fangs pushed it open but he could not catch it due to the tears that suddenly pricked at his eyes.

Sweet Pea stood on the front step, in one hand a box of 300 multi-coloured fairylights and a steaming bag of Chinese takeout in the other, but it was the beaming smile on his face which made Fang’s emotions run haywire. God, he loved this man.


End file.
